Sun Bear Kills Chickens, Shocks 70-Year-Old Woman in Midnight Attack
A sun bear killed seven chickens in a midnight raid on a Prachuap Khiri Khan home, shocking a 70-year-old woman who encountered the protected animal inside her coop during a power outage.
On September 7, officials from the Khao Yai National Park management reported a wildlife incident in which a wild animal attacked livestock belonging to a resident in Prachuap Khiri Khan province. The homeowner, 70-year-old Bunyama Ukhaew, recalled the terrifying moment: during heavy rain and a power outage around 5 a.m., she heard her chickens—about 30 birds kept in two adjoining coops—making unusual distressed sounds. Concerned for her animals, she grabbed a flashlight and ventured into the darkness. When she opened the second coop, her flashlight beam revealed a large black furry animal the size of a human crouched on a wooden shelf, actively consuming a chicken. Shocked and paralyzed with fear, she managed to back away and call for help from neighbors. The bear fled when residents arrived with multiple flashlights.
The next morning, villagers discovered seven chickens dead, torn apart and partially eaten. Officials measuring paw prints found in the mud confirmed impressions of 138 to 140 millimeters, identifying the animal as a sun bear (Malayan Sun Bear), a protected species weighing approximately 25 kilograms. The bear escaped by climbing over a fence into a nearby eucalyptus forest. Though the incident occurred about 5 kilometers from the national park boundary, officials explained that the surrounding community forest and agricultural land create natural corridors allowing wildlife to venture outside park boundaries in search of food. Authorities have coordinated with wildlife conservation officials to install traps in vulnerable areas and track the bear for relocation back into the national park.
